The Coming Robot Revolution

This book covers the reality and the vision in the development and engineering of humanlike robots. The topic is described from various angles, including the state of the art, how these robots are made, their current and potential applications, and the challenges to the developers and users, as well as the concerns and ethical issues.This book includes discussion of the state-of-the-art trends, challenges, benefits, and plans for future developments. In the opening chapter, a distinction is made between humanoid robots that have the general appearance of humans and humanlike robots with an appearance that is identical to humans. Chapter 2 describes the currently available crop of humanoids and humanlike robots, while Chapter 3 examines various components that are involved in making such robots. The subjects of prosthetics,exoskeletons, and bipedal ambulators are covered in Chapter 4. Exoskeleton structures are used to augment the ability of humans in walking. Further, ambulators are chairs with two legs that carry humans and that are able to walk. They were developed to replace wheelchairs for operation in certain difficult-to-maneuver areas, including climbing stairs while carrying a human.Chapter 5 considers the issues that result from our making robots that mirror humans so closely. These robots challenge our human identity and our primacy as the lead species on the planet. Besides becoming household appliances these robots may significantly impact our lives and our economy; the potential impacts are discussed in Chapter 6. The book concludes with a chapter that describes and discusses the capabilities and challenges in developing the technology of humanlike robots.